Mom was in hospital last Sept due to a stroke. She lost weight while in hospital & then when she came home seemed to gain some back. I put her on the Ensure Plus type drinks. But now she seems to be losing weight again. She usually only drinks one Plus Drink a day so thought about increasing to two. Also, was wondering if anyone could suggest some foods that I could give her that would help put weight on. She is not a diabetic. Thanks for any ideas!

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Thanks, Yogibear for the information. Had not even thought about cottage cheese but will try it out! Tonight Mom ate pretty well. I gave her bigger portions & she ate more than I thought she would. Thanks to all of you for all your great ideas! I really appreciate them.

Nana, if she likes peanut butter, I know you won't feed it all the time, but I was at WalMart tonight and saw peanut butter and honey from Skippy. Does she like cottage cheese? That might help. I think Deef, Jessie and Jeanne have great ideas. Blessings

Nana, there is a product on the market to help people gain weight. It's made by Nestle and is called Benecalorie. I recently ordered some for Mom who has PD and dementia. It is an odorless and tasteless liquid that you can add to foods and drink. It comes in little containers much like coffee creamers. Each container of liquid contains 300 calories and is designed specifically to help people that need to gain weight.I have a very hard time feeding Mom now. She clamps her mouth shut tight and will not open it for food at meal times. I'm not sure if this is due to the PD, or if it is a habit she started because of the dementia, but it can sometimes take an hour to feed her a meal. She is 5"5" and is now down to 102! She was holding steady at 110-112, but has dropped down in the last 6 months due to this new habit. I'm hoping this product will help her gain back a few pounds at least! Although she is wheelchair bound, she is very OCD and never stops moving all day long, and the PD keeps her moving even in sleep, so most of the good calories we get into her get burned up right away! Good luck with your mom and I hope this can help you out. By the way, it has to be ordered from either a pharmacy store like Walgreens, or Walmart. Most stores do not stock it. It will run around $35 for a case of 24.

Her weight still seems pretty good for her height and age, so you sound like you're doing everything right just giving her good nutrition. I think most important for an older person is to have things in balance, so it is easier to use the nutrients without clogging the arteries. Proteins, carbohydrates, and plant fats are probably the best way to go. Since she had a stroke, I would go easy on too much animal fat. I don't know what her cholesterol is like, but having too much of it in her diet would concern me. But I guess at 87, she has earned the right to a couple of strips of bacon sometimes if she wants it.

I hope the weight loss ends soon. It is pretty normal for people her age. As long as it isn't too severe, I wouldn't worry, just keep an eye out -- something that you are already doing.

My husband liked milkshakes, even if he wasn't hungry. A few scoops of ice cream, an envelope of chocolate Carnation Essentials (instant breakfast), a banana, and a couple of tablespoons of peanut better, with enough milk in the blender to make it drinkable was one of his favorites.

Several years ago when she was still living alone she went through a period of losing weight & I began bringing her to my house at night and giving her supper & put about 10 lbs on her. Mom is a small woman. I weighed her today & got 2 different readings -- so not real sure which is correct. One was 113 lbs & the other was 108. She is only 5' tall. Before her hospital visit she was staying pretty steady at 122. Then a couple mos after hosp stay she went to Cardiologist for a check up & weighed 119 then. Thanks for the information, Jessie, appreciate it!

Nana, my mother had a period where she lost a good bit of weight last year. After shedding 10-15 pounds, she stabilized. I don't know why she lost the weight, because her appetite was fine. I was worried about the weight loss, so was glad when it stopped.

Is your mother underweight now? How old is she? People who are 80+ often lose weight for no specific reason. Their bodies may not absorb nutrients as well as they one did and they may be less efficient at converting it to fat.

She is pretty healthy other than the ALZ. She does have an appetite most of the time. Sometimes in the evening she does not eat well at supper time but most of the time if it is something she likes, she eats fairly good. I was mainly trying to get ideas of healthy higher calorie types of foods for her. I thought about peanut butter might be a good one. Thanks.

Does she have any other health issues other than Alz? High blood pressure, etc? Does she not have an appetite? Does she not find food appealing? If not, I would think anything she really likes to eat she should be able to eat. Maybe a little more info might help for some ideas. Sorry, I will be thinking of things while I await your response. Blessings

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